Maintenance Mission
by Peeet
Summary: 1. The Doctor picks up an unexpected passenger. He orientates her with space travel and puts her at ease. She gets on well with the Tardis by thanking it and starting to read a maintenance manual. She expresses a view of global warming from someone who is not from Earth. The Doctor treats her to a day out cooking and she becomes his companion.
1. Battery Check

1 **Battery Check**.

The Doctor lands the Tardis on Slint. In the Tardis Control room, the Doctor is selecting the correct pager for Slint. He is talking to himself as he selects the pager out of an array of pagers in a box.

"Pager for… Slint" the Doctor says quietly. He pauses as he finds it. "Here we are. I must have the right pager, or the test won't work!"

The Doctor puts the pager in a top pocket.

Just now, the Doctor has no companion. He bears in mind many warnings given to him in all kindness that he must always travel with a companion. What if something went wrong, they say? Besides which, it is much more fun with someone else. Someone to show the universe to, maybe someone to love and be loved by. He knows the risks, yet there are times when he likes to be alone, just not for long.

Slint has a pleasant, wide, tree-lined lane leading up to its Town Hall, except it is illuminated by a red sun. The lane has detached bungalows along its short length of about 200 yards; each bungalow has a green brick and roof (showing up as dark in the red sunlight) with a bright radiant red front door in the red sunlight. Everything was designed by one architect who had a preference for a Victorian Town Hall and a close cluster of dwellings nearby in some later design date. Then some bureaucrat had rolled the design out across many populated planets, this being one of them.

The planet has a very small population for its size. It is smaller than Earth, but still a large planet. It was populated as a precaution against other populated planets demising. There are plenty of resources on Slint, but interplanetary trade still supplies some of the luxuries that they haven't been able to make on Slint yet.

Politeness is essential on Slint. Lack of any politeness is unusual. If he meets anyone, the Doctor must be polite, or he will look out of place and people will be gently offended.

The Doctor speed-walks determinedly away from the Tardis. This isn't his favourite job. In his hurry, he forgets to close the Tardis door. This planet needs little security. He has chosen to defend many human-descended planets at different points in history as well as defending Earth in our time. He is trying out having each planet with a pager so that he can go quickly to the rescue, rather than happen to turn up randomly, and maybe miss something. The pagers aren't the best solution, but they'll do.

The Doctor has a brief maintenance mission every two years to replace batteries and check it all works. He likes a dramatic entry and enjoys certain aspects like trying out the pager. Boredom pursuits, but it entertains him and keeps the grey matter working.

The Doctor speed walks up the road to the Town Hall, a small but imposing Victorian-style building at the top of the road. It is symmetrical with a central entry door (up a grand, wide staircase), and with a central balcony room above.

The Doctor ascends the grand steps outside and goes in at the central door and he goes up grand stairs inside the Town Hall two at a time.

* * *

_Will the Doctor meet anyone? Will all go to plan? He left the Tardis door open, will this matter?_


	2. Tardis Visitor

2 **Tardis Visitor**.

Meanwhile, back at the Tardis:

Ommera approaches the Tardis, inquisitive. This thing wasn't in the park yesterday.

Ommera is Earth-descended, her home planet is Slint. She is in her 20s. She is training as a Spaceport Spaceship Ground Maintenance Engineer, where, with success so far, she is proving observant and resourceful. She is aiming for a ground-based career. If one was measuring appearance in human years, the Doctor and Ommera would look a similar age.

On Slint, a sun cream must be worn to cope with the red sun, it gives her skin a very light purple (lighter than lavender) tinge. Ommera loves augmenting the sun cream colour on her face with a very light purple full bodysuit to blend in with her face colour. She has long rouged hair. Rouging the hair is essential on Slint to prevent hair problems from the red sun. Without rouge, her natural hair colour is light brown.

Ommera goes around the Tardis.

Almost behind the Tardis is a statue of a man down on one knee on pebbly sand holding a few pebbles in one hand and one pebble between thumb and forefinger in the other hand which he is studying. The ground is red, and the figure is brown. It is entitled _First Step to Mars_. It is evocative of Rodin's _The Thinker_ with some variations.

The Tardis door is open. She goes in.

Ommera is in the Tardis Control room. She calls out, "Hello! Anyone in? Anyone mind if I look around?" Amazed at the inner space, she explores, totally intrigued. The door is open, so she feels confident that she can just wander out again without difficulty.

"Wow. What is this? Is it a museum?" she asks herself. Ommera touches the console briefly. Then she wanders through beyond the control room and gets lost in corridors beyond the Tardis Control room.

* * *

_Will Ommera find her way out? Will the Doctor get back before she finds her way out? Will the Doctor notice that she is in the Tardis? What will he say?_


	3. Town Hall

3 **Town Hall**.

In the Town Hall, the Doctor enters the main room upstairs - the central room with the balcony. The room isn't massive, but the ceiling is very high – Victorian buildings are like that.

There are two people at grand Victorian-style desks, one on either side of the room.

The Doctor goes straight to the balcony. He enjoys standing on the balcony surveying the land with pleasure. He enjoys looking at the lands that he is defending. He knows all too well how short lived their existence might be without protection.

After a moment, he steps inside.

On one of the desks there is a large box with a single large red button on top.

"Are the batteries ok?" the Doctor asks.

"Er, we haven't had cause to try it," the first chap mumbles.

"Sorry. How could you know?" the Doctor apologises. "Standard service. I'll just change the batteries."

With a flourish the Doctor opens a battery compartment and swaps two AA size batteries. "I'll just test it out."

The Doctor gets a pager from his top pocket that he has carried from the Tardis. He smiles.

"I really enjoy this bit," the Doctor confides.

The Doctor presses the big red button on the box.

The pager that the Doctor is holding goes off both audibly and visually. He presses a cancel button on the pager. The pager stops sounding and flashing.

"All done."

"Thank you," the first chap mumbles.

They don't often see the Doctor, and when he does appear he is off like a whirlwind. These chaps are employed by the planet government at the request of the Doctor. One of their jobs is to press the big red button when there is a planetary emergency. They have other jobs, too, but they are part of a team providing round-the-clock coverage. There should always be someone there able to press the red button .

The arrangement appears rather makeshift. Surely the big red button would be in a high security safe in the private consultation room of the president of the planet? The Doctor argues that if an attack was launched, that would be the first target for any attack. Rather a small hamlet with a fairly solid Town Hall would be better.

"I'll be back in two years for my next maintenance visit," the Doctor says, and with that he immediately leaves the room to retrace his steps.

"He never looks any older," says the second chap.

"Yes, that's odd," the first chap agrees.

These workers only know that they have to press the big red button in case of emergency. They see the same maintenance engineer (the Doctor) come and change the batteries, but they don't know what else happens behind the scenes. This is on a need-to-know basis. If they blagged that they were an integral part of the planet's defence system, it would become well known and an attack might be focussed on them; just where the Doctor doesn't want an attack.

* * *

_Will the planet emergency system need activation? What will trigger this? Is there an imminent invasion? Will it work?_


	4. An Unexpected Passenger

4 **An Unexpected Passenger**.

The Doctor enters the Tardis, picks up and looks at a clipboard. This is his schedule of visits. He mustn't miss any of them out or their alert system might not work, and they will be without alert cover. A bit like being without insurance when your house burns down. Not a great thought!

"Where next?" the Doctor asks himself, consulting his schedule.

"Tinsel. Ok then," the Doctor says disappointedly.

Nothing ever seemed to happen on Tinsel. It was a nice enough place with lovely inhabitants. They were all very competent and caring people, so maybe their diligence averted some of the crises that afflicted some of the other colonies.

The Doctor presses a few buttons and pulls a lever on the Tardis console.

The Tardis grinds as it takes him to the next planet.

"Next battery change: Tinsel. No Christmas jokes," the Doctor quips.

The Doctor looks at his instruments and something catches his eye.

The Tardis is showing him a plan of some of the corridors on the Tardis. A dot near one of the corridors alerts the Doctor of an unexpected passenger.

"Oh, we have an unexpected passenger," the Doctor says bemused. "I wonder where they are from. Where are they now?"

The Doctor scrutinises the console display.

"Wardrobe section. Let's lock all the doors except those they need to come here," the Doctor decides.

* * *

_Has Ommera become so absorbed in the wardrobe section that she has lost track of time? What will the Doctor say to her when she has to face the Doctor? Will he be angry?_


	5. The Wardrobe Section

5 **The Wardrobe Section**.

Ommera is in a wardrobe room looking at a mediaeval emerald green dress. She holds the dress against her body suit. A pointed hat sits close by on the floor. She puts on the hat and looks in a conveniently placed mirror. Then she re-hangs the dress carefully and restores the hat to a shelf just by the dress.

"Wow. Such good quality," Ommera says appreciatively.

Ommera steps out of that room and she hears the clunk as the door locks after she closes it. She goes to the end of the corridor and finds the door locked, so she retraces her footsteps. Shortly she steps onto the Tardis Control deck and sees the Doctor.

"I- I'm sorry! I got lost," Ommera says. What can she say? It is true that she got lost in the corridors and got lost in wonderment in the wardrobe section. "Can I go now?" she asks.

The Doctor can't, unfortunately, just let her go as they have moved planet. But he wants to put her at her ease.

"Erm, yes," the Doctor reassures her. "You're very welcome to stay or go as you wish. I really don't mind you looking around. It's rather good?"

"I'm really sorry," Ommera apologises. "I've never seen anything like this before. It's fantastic."

"Thank you," the Doctor says gently and kindly. "Please call me Doctor. What's your name?"

"Ommera," Ommera says. "Pronounced like o_mnivorous_, with a short _O_ with the emphasis, a long _m_ and no emphasis at all after that. Many people have such difficulty. Some of the outfits in there are beautiful. I've really enjoyed seeing them."

"I don't often use the wardrobe section," the Doctor says. "I mostly just wear this."

The Doctor indicates the clothes he is currently wearing.

"There is so much in there," Ommera says. "And it's such good quality."

"Thank you, yes," the Doctor says. "Most of it has been there since I took control of this place. I don't know what else it would have been used for. But mostly there is just one of each outfit. It's little use to kit out more than one person the same."

"But that's fine," Ommera says. "And the outfits are lovely. Doctor, I have enjoyed my visit to your museum, but can I go?"

The Doctor steps over and shakes her hand warmly with a big smile.

"It has been very nice meeting you," the Doctor says. "Erm, you may find a few things have changed since you were last out there."

Ommera steps cautiously across to the door of the Tardis. It is closed, but she opens it.

"What?!" Ommera gasps.

Ommera steps back into the Tardis.

"What happened to my road?" a very worried Ommera blurts. "What happened to my house and my park? Why is the sun blue, not red?"

The Doctor can clearly see she needs some orientation.

"Ommera," the Doctor starts explaining sensitively. "The Tardis has moved."

"The … what?" Ommera asks.

The Doctor gestures to indicate the whole control room.

"This … is the Tardis," the Doctor continues. "Time And Relative Dimension…"

"What does that mean?" Ommera interrupts, even more worried.

"It means, my dear," the Doctor resumes, now on a different tack, "that we are now on another planet. I only popped in to Slint for a quick maintenance visit to change some batteries."

"You're a maintenance man?" Ommera exclaims.

"I do a few more things than that," the Doctor retorts gently, "but today is my maintenance day. I'm changing batteries."

"Then how do you mean, we're on another planet?" Ommera asks.

"I defend many planets, Slint is one of them," the Doctor explains gently. "This … is another."

"Defend?" Ommera gasps. "And what's the name of this planet?"

"Tinsel," the Doctor says.

"Tinsel?" Ommera laughs.

"Yes," the Doctor confirms. "I need to pop out for a few minutes to change some batteries here. Erm. What can I give you to read while I'm out?"

The Doctor fossicks in a large bin at the side of the control room. He hands her a tatty, chunky manual entitled _Tardis Maintenance_.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor apologises. "I haven't got much in for you to read just now. The Tardis may translate for you, or it may not. I'll only be a few minutes. Could you just sit until I get back?"

The Doctor indicates a plastic chair for Ommera to sit on. She takes the book and sits on the chair.

Ommera is scared since her world is no longer just beyond the door.

The Doctor is sometimes too trusting, but this seems to him like a good moment to find out just how trustworthy Ommera will be.

"See you in a few minutes," the Doctor says.

The Doctor steps out of the Tardis, leaving the door ajar. He runs up a similar road to a similarly imposing Victorian building on Tinsel – it shares the same architect. On this planet the sun is giving a blue light. The front doors are blue, here, making them glow brightly in the sunlight.

The Doctor bounds up the stairs three at a time.

Later he gets back to the Tardis. He isn't out of breath, he just coolly and quietly steps in.

Ommera is still sitting on the same chair she was sitting on when he left. She has started to read the manual.

"Wow. You've passed," the Doctor exclaims.

"Passed what?" Ommera asks.

"I left you totally in charge of my most valuable possession and you were totally trustworthy," the Doctor continues. "You didn't move."

"I wouldn't have known what to do," Ommera says.

So Ommera is careful and trustworthy? But what if she had known what to do? Did she actually do anything?

The Doctor wants to put her at ease.

"Water!" the Doctor commands.

Two glasses of water emerge from the Tardis console. They each partake.

"I could take you home just now if you would like," the Doctor says gently, "or you could see something more of the universe beyond your own planet. You could come on an outing, maybe a bit of an adventure? The Tardis travels in time, too, so I could take you back home after an adventure, but back to just after you left, if you see what I mean?"

Ommera sips her water, unsure quite what to make of it. "Er, thank you," she says quietly.

The Doctor can see she isn't quite taking it in just now.

"Let's play a game, and you can tell me after," the Doctor continues gently.

The Doctor brings out, from a covered hole in the Tardis console, a small light-coloured wooden box, larger than a chess set box.

He scatters the 5-inch square pieces gently on the ground.

They glide around and form a larger square. Then a picture appears on the larger square. It is a picture of the Town Hall on Slint.

Then the pieces glide around until the picture is messed up and they form another square…

"You just look at a piece, it changes colour at the edges, and you tell it which way to move," the Doctor explains. "Try it?"

"Oh, wow," Ommera exclaims, surprised.

Ommera looks at a piece and its borders turn blue.

"Oh, er, left," Ommera says.

The blue edged piece glides to Ommera's left one tile width. Then it loses its blue edge as Ommera looks at the Doctor.

"Fascinating," Ommera exclaims, intrigued. "That's amazing."

"That's very thoughtful of the Tardis," the Doctor says. "It has selected a picture from your home planet for you."

"How do I thank the Tardis?" Ommera asks.

"Just say – thank you, Tardis," the Doctor says. "I think that might do."

"Thank you Tardis," Ommera says, feeling it strange to say it. "Do you often say that?"

"Er, actually not enough," the Doctor admits. "I'm usually in a bit of a hurry."

"The Tardis is very thoughtful," Ommera says.

Gradually, Ommera feels more at ease.

The Tardis likes Ommera even more. She has read some of the maintenance manual, and she is being thankful.

* * *

_If the Tardis likes Ommera, might this lead to any problems? How does the Doctor regard Ommera? What other tests will he make? Will Ommera go home?_


	6. Oceans - The Choice

6 **Oceans – The Choice**.

Later the Doctor and Ommera are in the Tardis Control room.

Ommera has partly washed out the rouging from her hair. Her hair is becoming a light brown in colour (the natural colour of her hair). She has also washed off her sun cream.

The Doctor and Ommera are playing a different game.

"Your hair is different?" the Doctor asks.

"I've washed some of the rouging out," Ommera says. "We need rouging to protect our hair from the sun on Slint."

"Your face is different as well?" the Doctor asks.

"That was just sun cream," Ommera explains. "It's what we use on Slint."

"You're Earth-descended aren't you?" the Doctor asks.

"Yes, we all are on Slint," Ommera says.

"Would you like to go to see a planet with oceans that boil away?" the Doctor asks.

"Sounds interesting," Ommera chirps. "Is that a concept or is it something we could actually do?"

"We could actually go there," the Doctor affirms. "Interested?"

"Wow, er, yes?" Ommera says.

The Doctor gets up off his chair and goes to the main Tardis console. He throws a few switches and presses a few buttons.

"Mars. A very long time ago," the Doctor asserts.

"Where is Mars?" Ommera asks.

"Oh, er, of course, you aren't from Earth, just descended," the Doctor recalls. "Sorry, I'm just used to travelling with people from Earth. You were raised and educated totally on Slint, so you wouldn't know much about Earth."

"Earth was studied," Ommera recalls. "I remember now, in the context of Earth. Mars is one of the Earth's neighbouring planets."

"Yes. Shall we visit?" the Doctor asks.

"Thank you, yes," Ommera replies. "I thought it was a barren, dusty, rocky planet with nothing much going for it. Oceans you say?"

"Yes," the Doctor says. "It once had oceans. Four billion years ago."

The Doctor throws one last switch and pulls a lever.

The Doctor looks at one of the console monitor screens.

The Tardis grinds and the monitor screen dissolves into a picture of a beach by the sea.

"We must stay close to the Tardis," the Doctor advises her. "It can supply air for only a short distance. And we must take care not to pollute the planet at all, even the slightest thing may change the course of the planet's development."

* * *

_What will happen on Mars? Is it a friendly place? Will Ommera heed the Doctor's last warning?_


	7. Oceans - The First Small Step

7 **Oceans – The First Small Step**.

The Doctor and Ommera step out onto a long, gently curved, sandy beach as far as the eye can see.  
Ommera is impressed by the natural beauty of the place. She briefly wonders how many eyes have seen this lovely sight, but she feels the answer is obvious – not many.

"A nice calm evening," the Doctor says.

"What might we introduce to the planet?" Ommera asks.

"Say we added cells that might evolve into plants," the Doctor explains. "The plants might photosynthesise and change the carbon dioxide into oxygen, fixing the carbon. If they fix enough carbon, the greenhouse gasses might not build up enough, the planet wouldn't overheat, and the oceans wouldn't boil dry. We would have changed the natural course of history. Just with a tiny introduction."

They stand surveying the ocean. Gentle waves lap at the shoreline. It is so peaceful. Ommera feels that she would love to stay here forever. But then there is no food. Slight snag.

Ommera looks up as the light fades.

"What's that brown planet up there?" Ommera asks.

"That's Earth four billion years before your time," the Doctor says. "Acid rain and rather toxic."

"It's so lovely here just now," Ommera says. "So, what becomes of Mars in the future?"

"I'll take you there," the Doctor says gently.

The Doctor and Ommera re-enter the Tardis.

* * *

_We know what Mars is like now. How does Mars appear at the time the Doctor takes them to? Did they accidentally introduce any contaminants?_


	8. Oceans - Mars not so friendly

8 **Oceans – Mars not so Friendly**.

The Doctor types in a different date and throws one last switch and pulls a lever.

The Tardis grinds.

The picture on the Tardis console monitor screen dissolves into a red, barren, dusty, rocky place.

They don't even bother to go out.

"Not so good?" Ommera says.

"Regrettably, no," the Doctor says. "Very little water and very little atmosphere. Stripped away gradually by sun plasma streams. Nothing to keep it here."

"Shame," Ommera says. "Not so lovely."

"There were other things that caused the change," the Doctor expands. "Heavy bombardment by meteors but that was spread over a long time. Mars survived that, but wherever there is insufficient vegetation to capture the carbon in the atmosphere, the greenhouse effect takes over; then there is nothing to hold on to the water. Loss of its magnetic field contributed, too. Earth survived and because of life it became the more pleasant planet. If there was just grass, the carbon is re-used but rarely becomes a seam of rock underground where the carbon is then sealed in. No, it is trees that do the most useful work now. They make the climate much more temperate. Without enough of them any planet with carbon will die. And there's a lot of them."

"Is there anything we can do for Mars?" Ommera asks.

"It isn't for us to do anything for Mars," the Doctor replies. "If we interfere humankind won't appreciate what may well happen to their own planet. If we fix something here on Mars, Mankind may assume it will just all be ok and continue to de-forest Earth and dig up all the fixed carbon, burning it both as or after they've used it and imagining it's all ok. Then wondering why the planet overheats."

The Doctor pauses.

"On the other hand," the Doctor continues, "if they recognise the issue, they can do something about it before their own planet dies prematurely. I expect it will revert to how it was before the trees – acid rain and…"

"I'm really sad about that," Ommera says. "Does it really take so much to change things there?"

"Hmm. Yes," the Doctor sighs. "Unfortunately, a lot of it is driven by greed. And heads in the sand, and misinformation, particularly from those who had most to gain – what I said - greed."

"What do they need to do?" Ommera asks.

"Recognise the growing problem. If they care about their children and their children's children, they must act. They have no planet B."

"Shall we have another game before we go?" the Doctor prompts.

* * *

_Where will they go next? And why? Will there be an emergency?_


	9. Return to Slint

9 **Return to Slint**.

Later, in the Tardis Control room.

Ommera has now fully washed out the rouging from her hair. Her hair is a light brown in colour (the natural colour of her hair).

There is a 'ping' noise. One of the pagers has alerted.

The Doctor looks at the Tardis console monitor.

"Slint," the Doctor calls out. "An emergency on Slint?"

"Slint?" Ommera jumps up, alarmed.

"I changed the batteries just now and tested the system," the Doctor affirms. "Could it have developed a fault since then?"

"Could we go and see?" Ommera asks anxiously.

"I think we better had," the Doctor decides.

The Doctor adjusts some controls on the Tardis console. The Tardis grinds and arrives in space above planet Slint.

The Doctor presses a few buttons and examines the monitor.

The Bicx have arrived with a simple mineral collector ship and have caused a few large SlintQuakes during a preparatory / investigative planet mining operation.

The Tardis can be spotted by the Bicx in space, but they aren't looking.

"Some scarifiers have arrived and they may start mining Slint," the Doctor announces.

Ommera turns white and trembles. She is frozen with fear for her own planet.

"Oh no," Ommera groans very anxiously. "That's bad isn't it."

The Doctor wants to establish just what has happened.

But the Tardis doesn't want to play. The Tardis has enjoyed having someone actually read even a page of its manual and doesn't want to lose her.

"I'll see what the problem is," the Doctor says.

The Doctor adjusts the controls, but the Tardis just stays in space at the same location.

* * *

Information note: The Tardis has actually had some minor change by Ommera. While reading the first few pages of the maintenance manual earlier, she came across a paragraph recommending the activation of Voice Control.

The Doctor has avoided using this facility, rather preferring to set everything manually. He regards it as a further possible source for randomness of destination which he might already describe as having plagued him. On the other hand, the Tardis takes him to places where he can make a difference, so he is generally happy with the Tardis quirks without Voice Control.

When the Doctor asks to go down to the planet surface, the Tardis can act on it and take him literally!

On the other hand, when Ommera wants the Tardis to save the Doctor, it can also act on that, too.

Doubtless the Doctor will want to turn this facility off very shortly; that is, when they figure out what's happened.

* * *

"I just want to go down to the planet surface to see what's happened so far," the Doctor says impatiently.

Suddenly the Tardis doors fly open and gravity in the Tardis tips over on its side towards the open door.

The Doctor immediately plummets out through the door leaving Ommera hanging on for dear life.

The Tardis gravity returns to normal.

Ommera is alone in the Tardis. The Doctor is plummeting planetwards. He is in imminent danger. She can't fly the Tardis.

"Oh, no," Ommera panics.

"Quick," Ommera shouts. "Save the Doctor."

The Tardis grinds and re-appears just below the Doctor with the doors wide open upwards.

The Tardis is plunging down just as fast as the Doctor is falling.

Gravity in the Tardis is normal for Ommera.

Ommera is standing in the Tardis, with the Doctor heading down with head back looking in towards the Tardis doors from only a few feet away.

"Doctor," Ommera shouts. "Go a bit faster."

The Doctor takes the position of a diver with his arms and hands straight out in front of him.

Ommera steps towards the door to help him in, but before she gets there the Doctor enters the Tardis, arms outstretched.

The doors of the Tardis slam shut after him.

The Doctor is then affected by the gravity in the Tardis which is normal.

The Doctor scuds slowly across the floor and stops just short of the console.

Rather shaken, the Doctor is not pleased with the Tardis.

The Doctor gets up and dusts himself off.

"What was all that about?" the Doctor demands.

Ommera doesn't know what to say. She is puzzled. Somehow, she had asked the Tardis to save the Doctor and it had done so. But why had it tipped him out in the first place? And what would have happened if she had fallen out too?

Ommera glances at the console monitor nearest to her. A dot is approaching the planet fast.

Ommera says quickly, "stop before we hit the planet!"

The dot stops. The Doctor is impressed.

"Quick thinking!" the Doctor congratulates her. "Quicker than this junk heap," he says grumpily. He refers to the Tardis. "What would have happened if Ommera hadn't said anything?" the Doctor scolds.

The Tardis suddenly lowers the light level so they can hardly see.

"Oh, it's sulking now," the Doctor groans.

"Does it have feelings?" Ommera asks.

"It does seem to," the Doctor says. "Modelled on a real person. Full feeling range. Sometimes it is a person."

"I like that," Ommera says sensitively.

The lights come back on gradually.

The Doctor slowly and carefully tells the Tardis where and how he wants setting down.

"Could you please take me down to the park at the end of the road with the Town Hall at the top end?" the Doctor asks the Tardis. "Gently!"

The Doctor pulls a lever.

The Tardis grinds.

The Doctor opens the door to step out. He clings on to the door. One leg extends beyond the door, the other just about stays on the threshold.

"We're not on the ground!" the Doctor says, urgently.

"How high are we off the ground?" Ommera asks.

The Doctor regains his footing and looks down.

"About 6 feet," the Doctor says.

Ommera has seen a ladder room during her wander earlier.

"I'll just get a ladder," Ommera says. "The Tardis is funny!"

Ommera strides off towards the corridors and returns with a short ladder.

Ommera lowers the ladder from the Tardis door to the ground ready for the Doctor to use it to climb down to the planet surface.

"Thank you," the Doctor quips. "This might look like a climb down!"

Ommera laughs.

"Nice joke," Ommera replies.

The Doctor climbs down the ladder.

* * *

_What will they discover on the planet? Will it be worth their ordeal? Will Ommera go down the ladder? Will the Tardis lose her?_


	10. Information

10 **Information**.

The Doctor runs to the Town Hall, up the outer steps three at a time and in through the front door. He runs up the inside staircase, three at a time. Then he runs in through the door to the balcony room.

The two office workers are there at their desks.

"What has happened?" the Doctor demands.

"There was a large space craft that came and hovered?" the first chap replies haltingly.

"Then there was a large SlintQuake," the second chap replies confidently.

"Mining?" the Doctor exclaims. "Have they asked? Have they spoken to you?"

"Not at all," the second chap replies.

"Right out of order," the Doctor shouts, increasingly angrily. "No permission. No paperwork. They just take what isn't theirs. I'll fix this. I promise, I'll fix this."

"Hmm, somehow," the Doctor says under his breath.

* * *

_How can the Doctor do anything? Will the invaders just take what they want and get away with it?_


	11. Communication

11 **Communication**.

Back in the Tardis Control room, the Doctor is standing over the control desk.

"I want to warn them off," the Doctor says. "That may be all I can achieve right now."

The Doctor flicks a few switches to gain a communication channel.

The Bicx commander appears on one of the Tardis console monitors.

The picture shows one of their logos behind the Bicx commander: an emblazoned red right facing chevron with a white 'B' overstruck – 'B' for Bicx.

There is a picture-in-picture showing the Doctor.

"Oi, You. Yes you," the Doctor starts off angrily. "You… You've been mining without permission. You've been just taking what isn't yours."

"We…," the Bicx commander replies gruffly, rapidly trying to assess the situation, being caught on the back foot, "…are only investigating."

The Doctor wags his finger, then jabs it.

"You have no right to just come and take what isn't yours," the Doctor says sternly. "Now… You have to know," the Doctor continues, "I'm telling you to go. Go and never return. If you do come back again I will file against you under the Shadow Proclamation. This planet is defended."

"You have no power to do anything," the Bicx commander laughs, "and we don't recognize the Shadow Proclamation."

"Think of the inhabitants of any planet before you consider mining," the Doctor argues. "You ought to make life better for the inhabitants, not just plunder them. And you must ask them first and provide whatever assurances they ask for."

"How did you know when to arrive, just when we are here?" the Bicx commander demands. "How did you know?"

"The inhabitants tell me," the Doctor lets slip, then regrets it.

"How?" the Bicx commander demands.

"Not telling!" the Doctor defies him.

"Ha! This communication is ended!" the Bicx commander retorts scornfully.

The Doctor clicks a switch but the picture and sound on the monitor continue. Only the picture-in-picture of the Doctor disappears.

On the Tardis console monitor the Bicx commander is seen telling his commanding officers to take the command ship home.

"We can go back home now," the Bicx commander continues, unaware he is overheard by the Doctor. "We have our samples… Hmm. Make life better for the inhabitants heh? We might appear to appease him and do something of that before…"

The Doctor clicks off the listening communications channel. He can see where the conversation might go and is aware that Ommera is listening.

The monitor shows the Bicx command ship go.

"Very useful that facility," the Doctor distracts her. "I can click off communications from me to them; but retain communications from them to me. Anyway, they've gone. They won't be back. Not for a while anyway."

The Doctor is putting a brave face on it. He can see the signs that their going away with samples is likely to only be temporary.

Ommera sighs. "Even just the thought that the Bicx might come back is horrible."

"We have the systems in place so we can be here when they do come back," the Doctor assures her. "Those workers on Slint in the Town Hall have a way of calling me the moment anything happens. The Tardis can bring us to the very moment they called me. Doddle. All well under control."

* * *

The Doctor wants to reassure Ommera and distract her, so that she isn't directly worrying about the problem.

"Tell me what you like doing," the Doctor encourages her. "What do you like doing best?"

"I do like cooking," Ommera says. "Do you have facilities on the Tardis?"

"Not really," the Doctor admits. "There is an equipped kitchen, but it isn't stocked with food. But we could visit a planet where cooking is highly prised: Cookerama. Well, it would translate to that. The original local language is too difficult for all but the locals to speak, so they have come to terms with having to speak other languages."

"Strange, but understandable," Ommera says. "Sounds interesting. But I feel my cooking skills might not be up to their standard?"

"Doesn't matter," the Doctor reassures her. "They absolutely love showing others how to cook."

"Will our palette be up to eating their food?" asks Ommera.

"Fortunately, yes," the Doctor says. "They are humanoids like us, so we won't have any difficulty there."

"Great," Ommera affirms.

"Good to go?" the Doctor asks.

"Yes," Ommera says. This sounds very interesting.

The Doctor presses a few buttons and looks at the console monitor screen.

"So, I'm taking us back to just after they opened their doors to outside bookings," the Doctor continues. "They can get a bit booked up, though ."

"Can you book from here?" Ommera asks.

"With them, yes… sometimes," the Doctor affirms.

The Doctor types in a few details.

"…And companion," the Doctor continues.

The Doctor types some more.

"I never put my own details," the Doctor enlightens her. "Some places I'd never be allowed in!"

The Doctor jests, but he knows there are places that would let him book, then invite some of his enemies. Probably not here, though.

"Could be interesting," the Doctor continues. "Booked in under the name of Mister and Missus Slint."

"That's rather forward!" Ommera declares.

"Sorry, did I step out of turn?" the Doctor says. "It's just so much easier that way.

"Er, ok then," Ommera says compliantly.

The Doctor pulls a lever and the Tardis grinds.

They step towards the Tardis door, but it won't open.

"Oh, what's wrong now?" the Doctor asks.

Ommera looks at the Tardis console.

"We should wear something different," Ommera says. "Your clothes are looking a bit shabby after your dive into the Tardis. Have you got another outfit?"

"Not just like it," the Doctor says. "Better have a look in the wardrobe section."

They leave the Tardis Control room to go to the wardrobe section in the Tardis.

* * *

_How interesting will it be to be Mister and Missus Slint? Is this rather forward, or does it mean nothing to the Doctor? Should Ommera's hopes be raised?_


	12. Cookerama Intergalactic

12 **Cookerama Intergalactic**.

The Doctor and Ommera emerge from the Tardis in flamboyant outfits. The Doctor is wearing flared trousers and an orange shirt with a ruff. Ommera is wearing the emerald green dress and pointed hat that she had discovered earlier.

As they walk away from the Tardis, arm in arm, the Doctor clicks his fingers and the Tardis doors close behind them.

In front of them is a funfair-like large model of a cup cake. Over the entrance gate is the title "Cookerama Intergalactic". They walk through the entrance gate.

"No entrance toll booth yet, I see," the Doctor says to Ommera.

A man in a suit and a very tall chef's hat approaches them. He is holding a clipboard.

"Do you have a booking?" the chef guide asks.

"Yes. Mister and Missus Slint," the Doctor replies.

The chef guide looks at the clip board he is holding.

"No-one of that name on here" the chef guide says.

"I'm sorry, I only booked it a minute ago," the Doctor says. "Maybe the booking hasn't got through to your papers yet?"

"Oh, an electronic booking," the chef guide laughs. "We're not quite used to those just yet. There are plenty of spaces. Do follow me. We can go straight to the grand baking room."

They go into a metal marquee.

The marquee has lots of separate cooking areas, each with ingredient cupboards, cooker and sink. It could have been from the Great British Bake-off. Not all of the cooking areas are populated, but some are already, most of them are humanoid today.

The chef guide goes off.

"Wow," Ommera muses. "That's impressive."

"Hope you really enjoy it in here today," the Doctor encourages her, smiling. "One day only, so - learn and enjoy."

The Doctor goes to sit down on a bench at the side.

A chef enters and sees Ommera.

"Greetings sentient lifeform!" the chef booms. "Sorry, we've only just started to welcome visitors from space, so we're not quite knowing how to address visitors yet. Would you like to watch and learn, or do and learn? Or would you just like to be entertained?"

"Wow," says Ommera smiling. "I'd really like to do and learn if that's ok."

Meanwhile, the chef guide returns to the Doctor.

"I can't find your booking anywhere," the chef guide says, "but I do want to reassure you that it's ok as we have plenty of places to spare."

"Strange," the Doctor says, "but maybe I only booked it while I was on the way. Availability said you had lots of spaces today."

The Doctor is wary in case this is a ploy to sound out who he really is and what he's doing there.

"What's the name again?" the chef guide asks.

"Mister and Missus Slint," the Doctor affirms again.

"It's no matter," the chef guide says. "We want everyone to enjoy themselves here. You can have a go, too, sir?"

"Ok," the Doctor says reluctantly.

The Doctor gets up and unwillingly goes over.

Ommera has already cooked some pancakes in that short time. Pancake mix straight in a pre-heated pan.

"We don't have pancakes on Slint, so I've learnt something," Ommera says. "They were so quick, too. I'm going to learn what to put on them just now. Are you joining in?"

"Only reluctantly," the Doctor avoids the question. "The Tardis spoils me, I think."

"Glad to hear it," Ommera says.

"I might just have a look round," the Doctor says. This is his remit.

The Doctor heads for the exit door, but as he goes his attention is caught by a service door.

"Much more interesting," the Doctor says to himself.

The Doctor approaches the service door and hears some laughter.

"They'll get such a surprise when they eat the pancakes," Workman 1 laughs from an adjacent room.

This alarms the Doctor, but he thinks that maybe they are jesting.

The Doctor puts on a chef's hat from a pile nearby.

The Doctor goes through the service door.

* * *

_What will the Doctor find? Is there a sinister plot to uncover?_


	13. Service!

13 **Service!**

There is a small group of four workmen round an upturned wooden box with a "Bovine Butter" label on it.

Playing cards are on the table and in the workmen's hands.

"Sorry to interrupt," the Doctor says. "I was just looking round."

"You aren't really supposed to come in here," Workman 2 says, guiltily.

"Suppose you heard my last quip?" Workman 1 says.

"Yes, I'm sorry," the Doctor says. "I just overheard it as I was coming in."

"You needn't worry," Workman 1 reassures him. "We just accidentally put popping candy in the pancake mix."

The Doctor is relieved that it might be nothing more. But the Doctor really wants to make sure nothing else is amiss.

"I'll just pop through here, if I may," the Doctor says.

"No, no. You're a guest," Workman 1 corrals him. "We can't just let you wander around everywhere. No, you go and enjoy yourself in the grand baking room."

"How old is the baking room?" the Doctor asks.

"Only a few months old," Workman 2 says. "Still really new."

"What did you use before?" the Doctor asks.

"We had a tent," Workman 2 continues sharing, "but it burned down one session. Some say that someone's flambee went a bit wild!"

"But there are rumours that something else happened," Workman 3 contradicts.

"What type of thing?" the Doctor asks, interestedly.

"Well, some shiny metal gentlemen were here that day," Workman 3 enjoys sharing. "Someone said that fire ejected from their head torch."

"Head torch?" the Doctor asks. "Do you have any photographs of these people?"

"Well. No-one thought of that," Workman 2 says.

"But we do take photos for a presentation at the end of each session," Workman 3 recalls. "I'll take you to the gift shop. They'll find the photos."

"Thank you," the Doctor is most interested now.

Workman 3 gets up and leaves the room by another door to the outside with the Doctor.

* * *

_Who are the shiny metal gentlemen? What happened when they came? Why did they come?_


	14. The Gift Shop

14 **The Gift Shop**.

They arrive in the gift shop. There are many 'Cookerama Intergalactic' bun models like the cupcake model over the entry gate, teaspoons sporting the cupcake emblem; mugs with the cupcake emblem, too; even magnetic emblems to stick to the walls in your spacecraft.

Workman 3 whispers to a girl by the till and she goes through a door behind the till and returns a moment later with a big thick photograph album. She puts the album down on the counter and opens it, she leafs through it briefly, then points to a photograph for the Doctor to see.

"Cybermen?" the Doctor questions. "Why would they be here?"

The Doctor notes the date of their visit.

"They weren't any good at cooking!" Workman 3 jokes. "The pans kept flying off the stove and sticking to them! They did get very frustrated."

"Well, thank you," the Doctor says. "I'm not sure quite what to make of it. Was there anything else odd happened while they were here?"

"Not really," Workman 3 says nonchalantly. "No-one else liked being in the baking room while they were in it. The room gradually emptied during the day. Some said they seemed to be offering 'upgrades' whatever they were. Oh, and there were a lot of unclaimed spaceships at the end of that day."

There wasn't much for the Doctor to go on. A Cybermen's day out? Do they do that?

"Did they say where they were from?" asks the Doctor.

"No," the Till Girl says, "and actually, they didn't pay for their session either. Which brings me to another point. How will you be paying?"

"I always pay cash. Is that alright?" the Doctor asks.

* * *

_Cybermen appear to have had a recruitment day. What can the Doctor do?_


	15. A Popping Good Time

15 **A Popping Good Time**.

The Doctor returns to Ommera in the Grand Baking room.

"We're just about to sample some of my goodies," Ommera says excitedly.

"I've just arrived at the right time," the Doctor says to cover his caution. "Could we let the chef try them out first?"

"Of course," the Chef booms, beaming, "my pleasure." The chef cuts for himself a small piece of the pancake. When he puts it in his mouth he begins to look alarmed. "Popping candy in a pancake?" the chef declares. "I've never heard of that before! But it's very nice!"

"It should be ok to try some," the Doctor says, much relieved.

Both the Doctor and Ommera cut slices from the pancake, and sample it.

"Yes, very unusual," the Doctor says.

"It will catch on back home," Ommera says, pleased.

The distraction has done its work. Ommera isn't worried about home being undermined or destroyed now. The Doctor is happy for her.

"Come on missus," the Doctor jibes. "We should get back now."

Ommera puts her arm around the Doctor.

Ommera looks into the eyes of the Doctor.

"That's the best day out I've had, ever!" Ommera says just quietly.

Ommera rubs noses with the Doctor.

"That's our special greeting on Slint," Ommera says quietly and smiles.

"That's really nice. Ready to go?" the Doctor says brightly.

The Doctor is trying not to dwell on the intimacy. He knows that if he gets close it will be harder when the time comes to part company.

THE END

* * *

_Information note: This is the first episode in the series_.

_The next episode_ _in this series is called "Lateness"_.  
_To search for it, please search for "scarifiers" as scarifiers try to start mining Ommera's home planet, Slint. Just what she feared_. _Or search for "Ommera"_.

* * *

The best other episodes in the series are _Double Master Plan_, _Daleks in the Tardis_, _Gallifrey Exhumed_, and _GoggleDoc_.


End file.
